Inside San Francisco (Nov 26th, 2019)

1. Mayor London Breed has ordered the expansion of 24-hour public restrooms in San Francisco after a successful three-month pilot program. The three existing "Pit Stops" are located in the South of Market, Castro, and Tenderloin districts, and have been successful at keeping streets cleaner and providing restroom access for homeless individuals who may not have another option in the middle of the night. Restroom staff have also reportedly provided life-saving care to people who have overdosed inside the stalls. The city plans to open seven more Pit Stops over the next two years. – KTVU

2. Charles Schwab's headquarters will move from San Francisco to Westlake, Texas, as part of the firm's $26 billion acquisition of TD Ameritrade. Despite their headquarters moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, Schwab says it is still committed to business in the Bay Area, and they do not anticipate any layoffs in San Francisco as a result of the deal. Charles Schwab has had its headquarters in San Francisco since the company was founded in 1971. They currently maintain 1,300 employees within the city. – SF BUSINESS TIMES

3. Tartine Bakery in the Mission District reopened Monday after a three-day Department of Public Health-ordered closure due to rodent activity. The bakery's original location has had to bring in outside pest control crews "many times over the years," according to co-owner Chad Robertson. Robertson apologized on Instagram for "letting you all down" and vowed to earn top marks from the SF public health department in future inspections. Tartine opened at the location at Guerrero and 18th Streets in 2002, and have made several repairs to the building over the past 17 years. – SF GATE

4. San Francisco voters in March will decide whether or not to assess a hefty tax on vacant retail spaces. The city Board of Supervisors voted last week to add the proposal to the ballot, which would charge property owners a tax of $250 per linear foot of empty commercial space in the first year. The tax goes up to $500 in year two and $1,000 every year thereafter. A city analysis this year listed several reasons for storefront vacancies, including San Francisco's permitting and approval process, and landlords demanding high rents that small business owners are unwilling to pay. – CURBED SF

5. A dispute between the co-owner and the chefs of Middle Eastern restaurant Noosh is now playing out on social media, with employees choosing their sides. Noosh's co-owner John Litz alleges that chefs (and co-owners) Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz violated their contracts and misappropriated funds, claims they both deny. The Ozyilmazes also still have control over Noosh's Instagram account, which they've been using to post messages detailing their side of the story. Now, several employees have said they will not show up to work until the Ozyilmazes are reinstated as head chefs. Noosh's operating management has told the staff that nobody will be paid until they once again report to work. – EATER SF

6. The San Francisco 49ers now have a greater than 99 percent chance to make the NFL playoffs, and a 13 percent chance of winning the Super Bowl, according to FiveThirtyEight. Both FiveThirtyEight and Football Outsiders have the Niners with the third-best chance of winning Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, 2020, behind only the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. Though both sites rank the 49ers nearly as high as the Patriots and Ravens in overall quality, they have a tougher road to the Super Bowl this year, as the NFC contains more top tier teams than the AFC, including the New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks. The Niners last made the playoffs after the 2013 season, where they were ultimately defeated in the NFC Conference Championship game by the Seahawks.

7. A 55-year-old man was arrested at San Francisco State University Monday after threatening to "shoot up and blow up" the J. Paul Leonard Library, police said. University officials issued a shelter-in-place alert on campus shortly after 3 p.m. while the bomb squad searched the suspect's bags. No explosive devices were found. The man was charged with two felony counts of criminal threats, and the university's police chief said there is no ongoing threat to the university. The library will reopen today. – CBS SF

8. A structure fire caused extensive damage to a 140-year-old church near Santa Rosa Monday. Fire crews responded to the Church of Christ in Forestville and were able to limit the bulk of the damage to the building's interior. Nevertheless, the church's main sanctuary saw the bulk of the damage, with fire devastating its walls and pews. Officials are investigating the cause of the fire – they estimate that 50 percent of the building was significantly burned. – THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

9. The doorman at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel is retiring after four decades. Tom Sweeney has manned the front door at the Union Square hotel in his Beefeater garb since 1976, taking photos with tourists and carrying as many as 500 suitcases every day. He's called the doorman gig the "best job in the world" and said of his longterm employment, that started out as just a summer job, "it was a good run." In his retirement, he says he plans to continue running marathons (he's done 31 so far) and will spoil his four grandchildren. Sweeney says his last day at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel will be in January. – NBC BAY AREA